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Research boat hits whale
A research vessel belonging to an agency which protects endangered right whales hit one of the animals off the Massachusetts coast recently, cutting into the animal's left tail fluke with its propeller.
Ship strikes are the leading human cause of death of the North Atlantic right whale which only have a population of 350 to 400, after being hunted nearly to extinction in the late 18th century. These whales are particularly vulnerable to ship strikes because they sometimes become oblivious to their surroundings when feeding on plankton which are often just below the surface. The NOAA vessel Auk was returning from a research trip when the whale surfaced about 10 feet in front of it but fortunately this time, the lacerations suffered by the animal in the accident doesn’t appear to be life-threatening.
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